Tag Archives: palm springs

Gigi and Fredrik had a big family celebration in San Diego inspired by the bride’s Mexican heritage and love of mid-century modern design.

“I selfishly declared that the feeling of our wedding should be mid-century Mexican”, she began. “I’m Mexican but he’s Norwegian and not as much into mid-century design as I am, but it was an ace theme! We wanted to mix the styling of the 50s and 60s (heavy on the Palm Springs vibes) with the vibrancy and richness of Mexican culture. I was inspired by Mexican films from the period and vintage travel posters.”

“On a more personal note, the theme was also a way for me to be able to nod to my Mexican heritage on my mom’s side, and to also honour my relationship with my late father.”

Their ceremony was officiated by a friend. “Maybe the best idea that I ever had was asking Lauren to officiate the ceremony”, she explained. “We don’t know any official officiants and I just couldn’t bear the thought of a stranger performing our ceremony. We knew we wanted something non-traditional, but also personal. She asked us questions (separately) in order to weave the answers throughout the ceremony – which made for many surprises and delights. When the guests arrived at the church, they were greeted by mariachi’s all dressed in white. They were so great, I wish we’d had a videographer!”

Carolin and Benny, from Germany, eloped at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. They wanted their wedding to be completely on their own terms. The bride wore trousers from Topshop with a cropped top from Free People because she wanted to feel comfortable and like herself on the most important day of her life!

“Our wedding was very spontaneous and just for us”, said Carolin. “The day before we got married we chilled at the Ace Hotel pool and in the evening we met Sam and Josh, our photographer and videographer, for dinner and then Ron, our reverend, for a pre-wedding chat.”

“We didn’t had any stress. The Ace was the perfect place for us, we really loved how relaxed and cool it was. We are really into mid-century style. We bungalows and clean furniture. Neither of us like to be the centre of attention so we didn’t want to have any guests because we wanted to have this special moment just for us. We love the vibe in California so it was the perfect place for us to have our very private ceremony.”

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Palm Springs was visiting The Saguaro, the famous rainbow hotel. In fact our friends Allie and Christina booked in here just so we could stop by and take photos!

When we pulled up outside for the first time I actually audibly squealed. I couldn’t quite believe that its rainbow striped façade was real. You’ve gotta love a hotel that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Located on Palm Canyon Drive the surrounding area was also really great, with a well stocked supermarket just across the road. It’s also only a short 10 minute drive from the airport and the iconic Marilyn statue (Palm Springs is teeny tiny). Everywhere you look the majestic San Jacinto Mountains punctuate the horizon.

David and Kelly’s wedding was held at The Riviera Palm Springs Resort. The day have a classic 1950s retro vibe with monochrome details and elegant and timeless glamour throughout.

“The inspiration for our wedding was classic, retro glamour”, explained Kelly. “I love everything that embodies the 1950s: the cars, the clothing, the glamour. Women were so put together in such a classy way. I’m a sucker for the old glamour and how people dressed to a ‘T’ back in those days. People dressed up when they went out. They took pride in their appearances. Short shorts and flip-flops did not cut it when going out on the town. I’m just very classic and ‘old school’ when it comes to these types of details. I feel that I represent this ideal everyday (even though I do own a pair of flip flops and do wear them every once in a while!)”

“There was so much attention to detail back then, especially in the craftsmanship of the automobiles. I wanted to incorporate all of these beautiful details in our wedding. It’s what we love and it is what we appreciate. The most important for us was for our wedding to represent who we are as individuals and as a couple. I did not want to walk down the aisle looking like someone I am not. I did not want to be unrecognizable or look different from who I really am. Of course, the glamour was heightened, but I feel like our wedding was very representative of us. It wasn’t forced. We weren’t trying to be someone else on that day. I think you have to stay true to yourself, even when you are feeling pressure from others…. that to me is Rock n Roll.”

Rob and Diana chose the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs to host their wedding back in March. Their day was simple and elegant but with an added dash of sparkle! “Our wedding had a desert chic theme!” wrote the bride. “The otherworldly modern feel of the natural desert offset by a palette of mixed metallics. We did a lot of DIY. I had a serious staff of dedicated friends – we crafted every weekend for four months! I even flew my future mother-in-law out from New York to help – she had great handwriting for all the personalized gift bags from her days teaching kindergarten. Don’t be afraid if you don’t know exactly what its going to look like when you are done, if you can dream it do it!”

“We made everything very personal – from integrating graphic design from my mom to having our friends help design the altar and flowers and do the DJing. Let’s just say any wedding that requires a roll of chicken wire, eight cans of spray paint, a mosh pit, and my father-in-law dropping it to Wu Tang Clan is not the norm. It was what we know of the music scene we grew up in: community, loyalty, and never taking ourselves too seriously.”

Using influences from around the world, Carla & Daniel wanted their Palm Springs wedding to be eclectic but relaxed.

“We really wanted our wedding to have a relaxed and fun atmosphere that reflected how we connect a couple”, explained the bride. “I work in the wedding industry myself and so people assumed that as soon as we were engaged I’d have every detail planned, but it was actually the exact opposite! All I knew was that I wanted something different for our wedding and I knew just the people for the job. My sister and I launched our own wedding business, Wedding Collectibles, a few years ago. Our event design & planners Sugar & Fluff were some of the first contacts and friends that we made when we first started.”

The venue was Alcazar Hotel in Palm Springs. With a passion for Bollywood, Carla asked her stylists if this would work as a theme and they seamlessly incorporated it in with the Spanish and Moroccan vibe of the space. “We decided to do a weekend getaway for close family and friends in Palm Springs,” Carla continued. “Guest flew in from all over the world and it was a great weekend for everyone to bond and enjoy the weekend wedding festivities.”